Sheet-metal can.



No. 670,615. Patented Mar..26, 19m.

- J. c. LEWIS.

SHEET METAL CAN;

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1899.)

(No Model.)

11$: mums PEYERS c0. Puma-um NITED STATES ATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN G. LEWIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

S-H EET-M ETAL CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,618, dated March 26, 1901. Application filed April 10, 1899- Serial No. 712,397. (No model.)

cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illibodying my invention.

nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Cans; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction in sheet-metal pails, and more especially to the means for connecting wire bails to the side walls of such pails.

The invention is more particularly applicable to pails employed for packing lard; but it may be also employed in connection with sheet-metal pails used for other purposes.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a pail em- Fig. 2 is a view in central vertical section taken on a line indicated by 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing in vertical seciion the construction of the means for connecting the ends of the bail with the side walls of the pail. Fig. 3 is a face view of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in said drawings, A indicates the body of the pail, which is made of sheet metal and, as herein shown, is of cylindric form. The pail is shown as provided with a flanged cover B, which, however, has no direct con-' nection with the present invention.

0 indicates the bail, which is made of wire in the usual manner and provided with the usual hooked ends 0. the ends of the bail engage the side walls of the pail the latter is provided with inwardlydepressed or cup-shaped portions a, which are integral with the sheet metal constituting said side wall and are formed by stamping or swaging the metal by the use of dies or like means. Over such cup-shaped portions at the outer surface of the vessel are applied sheet-metal plates or disks D, which are secured attheir margins to the wall of the pail around the depressions and are provided with apertures d,

which are engaged by the hooked ends 0 of the bail. The said plates D, arranged in con- At the points where,

nection with the depressed portions 0. of the side walls of the pail, form inclosed spaces into which the hooked ends of the bail project and within which they turn when said bail is engaged with the body of the pail, this construction giving to the exterior of the pail a practically smooth shape without any projecting parts for engagement with the ends of the bail. The same results will of course be secured in the application of this construction to a tapered pail.

As herein shown and preferably constructed, the plates or disks D are arranged with their outer surfaces flush with the outer surface of the pail, and as aconvenient way of securing or attaching in place the disks so arranged the said recesses are surrounded by shallow grooves ,or rabbets at, approximately of the same depth as the thickness of the disks and into which the margins of the disks are fitted, the disks being secured in place by soldering or like means.

For convenience in attaching the bail to the pail the apertures d in the disks D are preferably made elongated in a horizontal direction, so that the hooked ends of the bail may be easily inserted through said apertures when the bail is held in a horizontal position.

A general advantage obtained by the construction described is that it makes the exterior surface of the pail practically smooth or cylindric, while at the same time leaving the wall of the pail continuous or without any soldering or other joints as part of the bail connections. By making the body of the pail without any external projections less room is required in packing the same, and when packed in boxes there are no projecting parts to occupy space or which are liable to come in contact with the sides of other pails, and thereby dent or injure the same in rough handling of the box or package in which the pails are inclosed.

A further advantage obtained by the construction described is that it enables a paper label or covering to be applied over the entire exterior surface of the pail in the same manner as in the case of an ordinary can such as is used in canning fruits or the like, it being of course understood that such a label or covering will be applied when the bail is detached and the bail afterward put in place by inserting its ends through the part of the paper covering which extends over the apertures d. For the packing of lard or like articles the application of such a paper covering or label to the pail is of special advantage not only because making the package more attractive in appearance and better adapted for the purpose of display when on the shelves of the retail dealer, but because also the paper cover may be extended over the flange of the cover used on such pail, thereby closing the joint between the pail and cover and lessening the liability to injury of the contents of the pail which may occur in packages where the covering is secured by a joint which is not herrnetically sealed.

The construction illustrated is also very strong and durable because there are no projecting parts liable to be detached in rough handling of the pail and because the disks being fitted in said depressions are attached in a manner best calculated to withstand the strain coining thereon through the weight of the contents of the pail, it being obvious that strain coming edgewise on the disks is transmitted directly to the walls of the pail, so that the strength of the soldered joints is not alone relied upon to hold the plates in position un der the pressure brought thereon by the bail when the pail is supported by the latter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing" my invention I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of April, A. D. 1899.

JOHN C. LEWIS. Witnesses:

F. H. BRENNAN, WILLIAM L. HALL. 

